Writers Guild Hits CES; CES Hits Back

At the heart of the ongoing writers strike is the issue of whether writers should get a cut of of online and digitally distributed content. So, what better place to bring up the matter than at CES?

"They tell us there's no money in online entertainment," reads a flier that the Writers Guild of America members were passing around yesterday at The Wynn Hotel & Casino. "Someone want to tell Bill Gates that?"

Not so fast, strikers. My (striking) writer friend Rob, who may or may not be cranky with me over a crack in my most recent column, tells me that some writers got kicked out of the Wynn yesterday for distributing leaflets about the ongoing strike outside a closed event.

Writer Jane Espenson, who has worked on hit shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Gilmore Girls, and The O.C., says that she and her fellow writers were getting a fair amount of attention from attendees.

"It was like we had coupons for free tiramisu," she writes on her blog which is usually more aimed at dispensing advice to aspiring screenwriters.

Seems like some of the consumer electronics folks paying for their appearance at the event weren't crazy about them grabbing some of the attention; security showed up and asked them to leave after an hour or so, she said, when I talked to her earlier today.

Comments

I just want to point out that WGA stands for Writer's Guild of America, not Writer's Guild Association.

Posted by: Hurmoth | January 9, 2008 10:38 AM

I really wish that the networks would give the writers what they want. I really don't think what they are asking for is unfair.

In the meantime I will not be watching the networks re-runs and reality shows (I can't STAND reality shows) and just stay tuned into National Geographic, the History Channel, and some of the other channels that offer older movies.

So I won't be seeing any of the advertisors on the major networks either.

Posted by: Fred Dunn | January 9, 2008 4:06 PM

Why not see what one writer has created on his own for the Internet? Why am I referring to myself in the 3rd person? Check out the first episode of my show, "MendelMania" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SZTIwHvTJo The Internet's first variety show.

Posted by: Bradddon Mendelson | January 9, 2008 7:07 PM

Dear Mr. Musgrove,

I don't mean to sound pedantic, but I'd have thought you'd know that "WGA" does not stand for "Writer's Guild Association" but "Writers' Guild of America." If you write about a subject I'd have thought you'd get the players straight. So you don't get into trouble again while writing about other industries here's a short list of acronyms:

MLB -- That's not "Major League Ballscratchers"; it's Major League Baseball.

NHL -- Sorry, no, that's not National Honky League. Okay, in some Harlem bars it is but for Canadians and the few Americans who care it's the National Hockey League.

NLRB - This is the National Labor Relations Board. I can understand if you assumed it was Never Leave a Republican corporation Behind. It's actually the FCC which stands for "Never Leave a Republican corporation Behind." And finally:

AMPTP - This does not stand for "Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers." It stands for "As**oles Making Piles, Telling us Pennies."*